Local wheelchair racers are looking forward to joining other runners in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in February.
'It's been years since Hong Kong had a full marathon where handicapped racers could use the same track as non-handicapped runners, and I'm happy I qualified,' said Fung Ying-ki, 31, a gold-medal fencer in two Paralympics Games.
The last time the marathon was set up for wheelchair racers was in 1998, and Fung placed third.
Fung lost the use of both legs as a youth when a virus damaged his spinal cord. He has recently learned to stand again, and says he has tricked his leg muscles into walking, although they remain numb.
Fung and Lee Kwok-yin have been training hard for the event.
Lee is a former Paralympic field athlete who will participate in the 3-kilometre race. He lost his ability to walk because of polio. Lee, 49, has competed in several marathons, and has a personal best time of 2 hours and 52 minutes.